The power of the news media, correspondent networks, and supply from foreign news sources are the most important things in the field of media. The new era of media needs all-round correspondence, and it is a key point. CAH interviewed Darcy Paquet, a specialized correspondent in Korean cinema and TV. Mr. Paquet has contributed to the Korean cinema. He worked with the Korean movie industry from its first experimental developments to worldwide famous films. He is doing his best in his field. Here is some information about correspondent, Darcy Paquet.

1. Correspondents are not familiar to people. Can you introduce what a correspondent is and what your work is? Being a foreign correspondent involves living in a foreign country, keeping a close eye on news and the local press, and writing news stories as they appear. Working for a news wire like AP is very demanding. I was a specialized correspondent, only writing about Korean cinema and TV, so my work was somewhat less intense.

2. How did you become a correspondent specializing in Korean cinema and TV? And, what do you do as a correspondent?Sometimes foreign correspondents are sent from their home country to a foreign country to cover news, but in many cases, news organizations and magazines will hire ex-pats who already live in a foreign country. Especially when the job requires foreign language competence, they will try to find someone who is already familiar with the country. As for me, I worked in Korea for four years as an English teacher before starting work as a correspondent. Actually, after working at Screen International from 2001 to 2004, and at Variety from 2005 to 2007, I have recently stopped working as a journalist. Right now, I am writing a book, maintaining a website on Korean cinema, and teaching at a University.

3. Can you introduce your process of becoming a correspondent? I was first hired by Screen International in 2001. I had created a website about Korean cinema (Koreanfilm.org) in 1999, and a couple of years later an editor at Screen International found my website and signed up for my newsletter. He had nobody to write about Korea at the time, so he asked me to become his correspondent.

4. What are the good things and the bad things about being a correspondent? One good thing about working as a correspondent is that you are able to meet many people. Covering the film industry, I met many directors and producers (though not very many actors or actors, since it was a trade magazine!). The bad thing about working as a correspondent is that you feel like you have to be checking the Internet all the time to see if there are news stories.

5. What do you think of Variety or SCREEN International cooperating with international magazines to announce news about Korean cinema to the movie community? Is that actually affecting Korea’s film industry? I think it helps the Korean film industry if many news stories about Korean cinema are published in foreign trade papers and magazines. Particularly if Korean filmmakers hope to cooperate with foreign filmmakers, the two sides need to understand each other very well. When I was working as a journalist, I thought of my work as teaching people in the world film community about the Korean film industry and how it works, in the hopes that they would feel more comfortable in working together with Korean filmmakers.

6. I guess you would be proud of all of your articles but which article do you think is the best? I best remember some of the first articles that I wrote in the year 2001. For example, I interviewed the director Jeong Jae-young of ‘Take Care of My Cat’, and I wrote a profile of her. The people at Screen International said they were very happy with the article, so I felt satisfied.

7. There are many students who want to be a correspondent in the future. What advice would you give them? Many correspondents I know (including me) actually never studied journalism in school. Sometimes foreign language ability or a strong knowledge about a certain topic, like economics or culture, can be a strong help in finding work as a correspondent. This is particularly true of less common abilities. I think if a Korean student were to go to Thailand, learn Thai, and study the culture, he/she would have a greater chance of becoming a correspondent than if they went to the US.